Virtual colonoscopies are not going to be covered by Medicare, according to latest decision by CMS
13 05 09 - 12:29
Colon Scans Not Covered
By PATRICK YOEST - The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- In a final decision released Tuesday afternoon, the federal agency that runs Medicare said that it would not provide any payments for so-called "virtual" colonoscopies.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, said in a memo that it wouldn't cover colon screenings with CT devices.
The agency concluded that "the evidence is not sufficient to conclude that screening CT colonography improves health benefits for asymptomatic, average risk Medicare beneficiaries."
The decision is a blow for medical-imaging companies such as General Electric Co. and Siemens AG that have developed technology to conduct the scans.
The scans test for colorectal cancer, which kills approximately 50,000 Americans each year.
Supporters of virtual colonoscopies contend that, because the scans are far less invasive than the traditional colonoscopies, more patients are likely to take the test and thus the disease is more likely to be detected.
While the CMS memo called the virtual colonoscopies a "promising technology," it said additional tests had to be conducted that would focus on the segment of the U.S. population eligible for Medicare benefits.